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We usually see new year as a fresh start and as the perfect time to start something new or start making things differently. Very often the resolutions are about a healthier or fitter life and that’s why gyms are always packed in January. However, very often we fail because we try to change our routines too drastically and the excitement will stop after a few weeks when we still can’t see any life changing results.

After all, the first day of the year is just like any other day. Maybe your goal for the year could be to be in a position where you don’t have to make new year’s resolutions anymore and be content with who you are on every day of the year. But if you want to accomplish that, don’t expect miracles on the first day of the year. If you’re trying to make your life healthier, start gradually. Write down your goal, keep it in mind all the time and just start by changing one thing at a time. For example pay more attention to your alcohol consumption and try to cut it down or set two days a week as days when you’re allowed to eat some sweets and have some wine. But remember, the truth is that you have to force yourself in the beginning. And you won’t see miracles on the first week of January.

If you want to make bigger changes in your life, maybe you could go just one month at a time. Make one change in January, the next in February and so on. Change always takes time and that’s why my biggest motivation is that ”time goes by anyway”. That’s what I tell myself whenever I feel like I’m not patient enough to wait for the results or feel like quitting.

While writing this I tried to think some resolutions but couldn’t come up with any big ones. Maybe it’s because I’m in the holiday mood or because I’m very content with my life at the moment. Or maybe because I’ve learned thay you can make same kind of resolutions on every day of the year. At least I know I want to do as much yoga as I can and get better at it as well as put more effort into my blog than I have during the last month.

Hope you’ve had a lovely Christmas with your loved ones! Even though it’s not too christmassy here in Australia, I’ve still enjoyed the holidays and had a very good time.

On the two first days in Sydney we just took it easy, relaxed, ate well and walked around the city. We walked through the Hyde Park, Botanical Gardens, Opera House surroundings and Darling Harbour. On the second night we went to see some Christmas lights and a lightshow at St. Mary’s Cathedral. There really wasn’t too much Christmas spirit in the city but we really tried to make the best of it. 🙂

After leaving Sydney we saw some of my boyfriends family and drove around his old neighborhoods before heading to a beach. There were some very beautiful places on the coast on our drive from Sydney to Newcastle.

On the last couple of days we’ve spent time with my boyfriend’s parents, eaten way too much and watched lots of movies. Our Christmas has been a mix of Aussie and Finnish traditions – for breakfast we had some Finnish food while lunch and dinner were more Aussie. We also made a Pavlova which is a very traditional Aussie dessert on Christmas.

In addition, we had to compromise a little when it came to opening the presents. In Finland we always open them already on Christmas Eve when Santa comes over whereas in Australia they open presents on the Christmas morning. So this year we opened half of the presents on the 24th and the second half in the morning of 25th. And oh boy I had been nice this year!

Today and tomorrow we are headed to a big family lunch down on the coast. We are also trying to figure out our plans for New Year’s Eve but I think we are both very happy to just take it easy. Here they organise fireworks for kids at 9pm so maybe that will be our choice as well. 😀

Four days in Salzburg went by super quickly, I could definitely have stayed longer! It’s always so much fun to catch up with family after a while. Even though it’s only a couple times a year that we meet, it always feels like it was yesterday when we last saw each other.

During the long weekend we visited two Christmas markets, baked a delicious cake, played games, went bowling and ate delicious food. Also minttukaakao’s with my brother were very present during the four days. It really wasn’t a health-vacation but I think it’s more than fine every now and then to just enjoy life and not think too much about healthy eating.

I’m writing this post already in Sydney, where I arrived early in the morning. I was supposed to write this at the airports while waiting for my flights but instead I just ran from one place to another. The best thing about my journey was an upgrade to business class on my flight to Abu Dhabi. The 24-hour-trip didn’t feel as bad because of the amazing service. 🙂 We also upgraded our hotel room here in Sydney and were able to check-in early six hours before the check-in time.

Today we’re just gonna take it easy, cook and sleep. But tomorrow it’s gonna be a busy day trying to see as much of Sydney as we can in one day. At least Opera House, Darling Harbour and some Christmas lights are on the list 😉

Decorated streets of Salzburg

A super yummy (and filling) Pomegranate cake

Very cozy Hellbrunner Adventzauber Christmas markets on left and markets in the heart of the old town on the right

I’m just at the airport waiting for the boarding to begin. I’ll be headed to Salzburg for a few days before flying to Sydney. So excited!

The last two weeks have been very busy and that’s why I haven’t been able to post that many times either. Also, my life has been extremely boring – mostly studying and organising compulsory things. But today was the last day of my bachelor studies (crazy!!), I did everything I needed to get done and am ready for holidays!

I’m very much looking forward to spending time and celebrating early Christmas with my parents and brother this weekend. We will probably visit Christmas markets in Salzburg or somewhere else, have a Christmas dinner and drink lots of glühwein. I really hope the weather’s gonna be nice for seightseeing and just strolling around.

On Tuesday I take off to Sydney and arrive there (way too) early on Thursday morning. We’ll spend the first two nights in Sydney with my boyfriend before heading up to Newcastle. He’s more than excited to have me there, but the thing he’s obviously looking forward to the most is getting up early in the mornings and going to the beach to do some yoga with me 😀

Besides seeing him I have no words to describe how happy I am to spend a few weeks in warmer climate and soak up some sunshine. I know I’ll feel so much more energised there and will also be more inspired to update my blog! I’m a little bit nervous to meet my boyfriends whole family during the first few days though haha. But it will be super fun to see where he’s from and what Australia is all about!

I hope you’ll enjoy your weekend and have some exciting plans for the holiday season!

It’s that time of the year again when Christmas gift ads are everywhere. Everyone is thinking about what to get to their loved ones, and people are expected to consume a lot during December. Too many times we just buy a gift for someone just because we feel like we have to and might not even put enough thought into it. And lots of times these gifts remain unused and just end up in the trash. I’d lie if I said I didn’t care about Christmas gifts, but I much rather receive something I actually need than something that will just stay in a box in the attic. It’s is the best feeling when you realise that the person who gives you the present has actually thought about you and what you would like. However, these gifts don’t always have to be material or anything new and fancy.

Online classes

There are so many online courses/classes for cooking, sports, photographing and so much more. Has your friend always wanted to learn how to edit pics on Photoshop but hasn’t been able to purchase it? Or is she/he into fitness but doesn’t really know where to start? There are so many apps/sites to choose from and in addition online classes are usually a lot cheaper than actual classes.

Second-hand/swapping

Do you have lots of stuff you never use or are about to throw away? Clothes? Shoes? Dishes? Books? You can always donate your old goods to charity or give fairly unused stuff to your friends as a gift. Of course you don’t want to give anyone dirty or super old clothes, but if you have something your friends like to borrow often and you rarely use, why not to give it to them as a gift. You can also swap gifts so that you both give something of your own to each other.

Dinner

Who doesn’t love fancy and delicious food? Dinners are always a great way to spend time together and make a normal day a bit more special. By putting a little more effort, time and thought into it, you can easily cook something more fancy yourself. Or if you just aren’t a chef, take your loved ones out for a dinner. You can give a pretty card as a Christmas gift to your friend and write on it when and where the dinner will take place.

Time

Sometimes we get so busy that we might go months without spending quality time with our friends/family. Even though time spent with them shouldn’t be a Christmas gift but a necessity, maybe you could organise a day that you will dedicate to your loved ones. Agree to spend that day without your phones and just focus on each others. And maybe you could do something fun and different together – for example go play tennis or attend a yoga class together.

Charity

I think everyone who’s reading this is in a privileged position compared to so many others in the world. Maybe this year you could make someone happy buy donating the money that you would put into their gift, to charity. In Finland you can do good for example here, here, here, and here.

No Christmas gifts at all

I know I’m such a party pooper but we all know that gifts aren’t the most important thing about Christmas. Of course they are part of the holiday but maybe you don’t have to buy something for everyone. If you have a tradition to buy something to everyone among your friends, maybe this year you could agree to just go out for drinks together.

I hope your weekend was filled with laughter and good food like mine was! Yesterday I and my roomies hosted a pre-Christmas party for our friends from the uni. There were 13 of us and everyone brought something to eat – sooo much food! And everything was so delicious! My favorite was Susan’s carrot cake which is so freaking delicious. She has made it once before for us on my birthday two years ago and I could never forget how freaking good it tastes 😀

On Friday I enjoyed the Christmas spirit at a Christmas market in Helsinki with a few friends. It’s so nice how all the lights make the city look a lot different and so much nicer. But I must admit, there’s not as much Christmas feeling at the markets here than there is in central Europe. Maybe it’s because we don’t have such a long tradition with Christmas markets in Finland. And here we rarely have lot’s of lights or ornaments anywhere, everything is just very moderate and simple.

The picture on the right is from a Finland100 -party that one of my friends organised with her roomies on Tuesday. They have such a nice and spacious apartment and I really like how much effort they had put into the preparations. 🙂

All in all this week has just flown by. But that’s good because it means I only have five more days until I’m eating my parents cookings in Salzburg. Couldn’t be more excited my five-week holiday is getting closer and closer! For the last two weeks I’ve been very busy and just constantly working on something so I’m super happy that soon I can just sit down, read a book or do a looong yoga workout.